The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-24

manager in a convention of railroad employees
as one of the orators of the occasion was typi-
cal of the spirit that governs the brotherhood,
the spirit of friendliness between capital and
labor, instead of hostility. The general man
ager was we'll received and made an excellent
address which was heartily applauded. He
addressed the engineers co-laborers and
said that 1--WE have a common interest and a
common object in view" He urged the ne
cessity, first of individual manhood, and Sec
ond, of perfect confidence between employers
and employees. There could be no good work
good results where there was distrust or
discord. He drew the line between labor
and loyalty. A mans labor has market
value and can be bought and sold but loyalty
is above price. Mere mechanical work can
be had for money, but loyalty and duty are
not purchasable. Yet employee owed
these to his employer as much as he did mere
mechanical service. t.For my part" said
this railroad manager, addressing the strongest
labor union in the world, "after laboring in
various capacities from boyhood, I am con-
WINGED that it is unwise for the engineer
to serve a corporation in which he lacks con-
fdence as it is for a corporation to retain in
its employ an engineer whom it cannot trust.
The faith must be mutual; the respect be we'll
grounded upon both sides. The confidence
must be absolute and unqualified; and right
dealing, truthfulness honesty of purpose.
consideration by each for the rights of the
other, form the pedestal upon which this con-
fidence must rest" These sentiments and
others akin to them were applauded by the
engineers.
Chief Arthur's address was in admirable
form-well conceived and arranged, counsel
ing devotion to duty, sobriety and modera-
alton, discouraging strikes and urging above
all things the cultivitation Of perfect conf
dence and good understanding between CAPT
tai and labor, employer and employee. The
keynote and inspiration of his address may
be found in the following extract:
1.-The aggressive civilization of to-day, the
one that will conquer the world and supersede
all others, the one that has proved the best
planes than any other is that built upon and
shaped by the teachings of Christ The best
thoughts of all the best thinkers and writer's
upon the industrial problem have found moth
ing equal to the words, Love thy neighbor as
thyself,' Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you All correct philosophy, all
sound teaching and reasoning conduct us un-
erringly to these simple truths, which COM
bine in themselves every essential principle
necessary to the solution of the industrial
problem. A solution based upon these would
abide, because it would be founded on SIM
pie justice between man and man." @77
And this from the chief officer of labor
union with a membership of %. 900.
These addresses met with hearty response
from the audience. Compared with them and
with the spirit and harmony that character
lied this convention, how mischievous and
pitable appear the proceedings of some others
where the ruling desire seems to be to estab-
lish and maintain condition of perpetual
hostility and chronic warfare between capital
and labor. There can not be doubt that the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers has
struck the keynote of the true solution of
the labor problem in the establishment of
friendly relations between capital and labor,
and the preservation of peace instead of the
prosecution of war between employers and
employees.